Moon in US to hold summit with Biden on vaccines, N. Korea

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in the United States on Wednesday for summit talks with President Joe Biden on COVID-19 vaccine cooperation, North Korea, alliance issues and bilateral economic partnerships. He is scheduled to hold the session at the White House on Friday afternoon (local time). It will mark their first face-to-face meeting. The two plan to announce the results of their talks in an ensuing joint press conference. The summit is expected to set the

May 19, 2021

Moon thanks Buddhist community for solidarity in virus fight

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday expressed gratitude to the Buddhist community for its decision to call off an annual lotus lantern festival as a precaution against the coronavirus pandemic as he issued a message marking the Buddha's Birthday holiday. "Last year's listing of Yeondeunghoe as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage marked a big joyous occasion. It's natural wanting to celebrate the feat, but the Buddhist community decided to cancel this year's lantern festival and hold an on

May 19, 2021

Moon heading to Washington for summit with Biden

President Moon Jae-in is heading to Washington on Wednesday ahead of his first summit with President Joe Biden on Friday, marking his first overseas trip since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be his fifth visit to the US as president. The overall itinerary and the size of the delegation have been reduced due to heightened quarantine measures, but his five-day US trip still has a packed agenda. According to Cheong Wa Dae, Moon plans to kick off his official schedule Thursday b

May 18, 2021

Nation marks anniversary of Gwangju pro-democracy uprising

GWANGJU -- South Korea marked the 41st anniversary of the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju on Tuesday, as the historic incident drew fresh attention amid Myanmar citizens' struggle against the military junta. About 200 people were killed and thousands injured in the southwestern city from May 18-27, 1980, as the military brutally cracked down on protestors who rose up against the ruling junta led by Chun Doo-hwan. In a commemorative social media message, President Moon Jae-in expressed s

May 18, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon recalls 1980 Gwangju uprising, hopes for breakthrough in Myanmar

President Moon Jae-in commemorated the anniversary of a 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju on Tuesday with a call for finding the truth behind the bloody crackdown by soldiers and recovery of victims' honor. Thanks to "courageous" testimonies by some of those involved, "We are coming close to the truth of Gwangju," Moon wrote on his Facebook and Twitter accounts in commemoration of the May 18 Democratization Movement. In Gwangju, 329 kilometers south of Seoul, at that t

May 18, 2021

Moon says COVID-19 vaccine issue to be addressed in his upcoming US visit

President Moon Jae-in articulated his resolve Monday to bear fruit in efforts to cement a COVID-19 vaccine partnership with the United States during his visit there later this week. Moon was referring to his plan to hold summit talks with President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday (local time), speaking at a weekly meeting with his senior Cheong Wa Dae aides. "I will use this visit to the US as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation on vaccines and (for South Korea) to move toward

May 17, 2021

DP chief hopes upcoming Moon-Biden summit can allay jitters over vaccine procurement

The chief of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) voiced hope Monday that the upcoming South Korea-US summit can help resolve various bilateral issues, including Seoul's COVID-19 vaccine procurement. "I expect that momentum can be created by the historic South Korea-US summit to relieve the (Korean) people's anxieties over vaccine issues, (foment) cooperation on semiconductors and a joint response to climate change, and resolve North Korean issues," DP Chairman Song Young-gil said during

May 17, 2021

[Newsmaker] Poll respondents divided on whether to reform confirmation hearing system

South Koreans appear to be almost evenly divided on whether to remedy the current parliamentary confirmation hearings for minister nominees, a poll said Monday, as the ruling party and the presidential office are pushing to shift the focus of the system to their job performance ability. In the Realmeter poll of 500 adults nationwide conducted Friday, 47.9 percent agreed to the need to refurbish the present confirmation hearing system, while 45.5 percent expressed an opposite view. The remaining

May 17, 2021

[Newsmaker] Uncommitted voters outnumber respective supporters of two main parties: poll

Uncommitted voters without preference for a particular political party outnumbered respective supporters of the two biggest rival parties, a poll showed Sunday. According to the poll conducted by Gallup Korea on 1,000 people aged 18 or over from Tuesday through Thursday, 30 percent of the respondents said they do not support any party, up 1 percentage point from the previous week. Twenty-eight percent threw their support behind the ruling Democratic Party (DP), down 2 percentage points from

May 16, 2021

PPP slams Moon for appointing Cabinet members without opposition consent

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Friday slammed President Moon Jae-in for appointing the new prime minister and two other Cabinet members despite opposition objections. "The Moon Jae-in administration does not budge a bit no matter how hard it is hit by (souring) public opinion. Its DNA of arrogance and self-righteousness has never been cured," PPP floor leader Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon said during an emergency plenary meeting of the party. PPP staged the meeting in front of

May 14, 2021

Moon seeks close teamwork with ruling party in his final year in office

President Moon Jae-in on Friday emphasized the importance of close cooperation between his Cheong Wa Dae team and the ruling party in handling major policy issues during the remainder of his tenure. Meeting with the leaders of the Democratic Party (DP) at Cheong Wa Dae, he recalled frequent rifts between South Korea's ruling parties and lame-duck presidents. When a presidency was on the home stretch, there used to be a chasm between a ruling party and the government, Moon pointed out. "T

May 14, 2021

[Newsmaker] Gyeonggi Gov. Lee beats former prosecutor general for 1st time in hypothetical presidential race: poll

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung has overtaken Yoon Seok-youl, the former prosecutor general, for the first time in a hypothetical two-way presidential hopeful poll released Friday. In a survey conducted by Gallup Korea on 1,007 adults nationwide from Tuesday to Wednesday, 42 percent picked Gov. Lee, affiliated with the ruling Democratic Party (DP), as their favored candidate for the next presidential election slated for March 2022. Yoon, who has led the presidential hopefuls' race in various pol

May 14, 2021

Korea to have new social distancing rules from July: New PM

New Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on his first day of work that the nation would have new social distancing rules from July if the coronavirus situation stabilizes. Kim, who took office Friday, presided over a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters held at the Seoul Government Complex. “We will do our best to ensure that more than 13 million people complete their first vaccinations without a hitch in the first half,” Kim said. He added that t

May 14, 2021

Moon appoints prime minister, science, land ministers

President Moon Jae-in appointed Kim Boo-kyum as new prime minister and two others to lead the science and land ministries Friday. They were picked in last month's Cabinet shake-up coming on the heels of the ruling party's rout in major by-elections. The president conferred the certificates of appointment on Prime Minister Kim, Science Minister Lim Hye-sook and Land Minister Noh Hyeong-ouk as well as two other minister nominees -- Commerce Minister Moon Sung-wook and Labor Minister An Kyung-duk

May 14, 2021

New PM Kim Boo-kyum pledges to seek national unity on first day on job

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday that he will work toward pursuing national unity in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, as he began his official term as the administration's third prime minister. "I will become a prime minister who thoroughly aims for national unity," Kim said while arriving at the government complex in Seoul on his first day as prime minister. "The current struggle can be overcome only if we work together," Kim added, referring to the ongoing

May 14, 2021

National Assembly confirms Moon's nominee for prime minister

The National Assembly dominated by the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Thursday gave its nod to President Moon Jae-in's pick for prime minister. Parliament passed the confirmation bill on Prime Minister nominee Kim Boo-kyum, clearing the way for Moon to appoint the ex-interior minister as his third prime minister. The bill was approved in a 168-5 vote, with one abstention and two votes invalidated. The DP commands 174 of the 300 parliamentary seats. The confirmation bill ran into resistance

May 13, 2021

US report mentions conflict over worship limitations in South Korea related to COVID-19 pandemic

The US State Department detailed the South Korean government’s limitations on in-person worship to contain COVID-19, and conflicts that arose in the process in its annual International Religious Freedom report released Wednesday. The report mentioned that the South Korean government placed restrictions on the number of persons who could gather together for any purpose, including for religious worship, to minimize exposure to the virus since February last year, following a COVID-19 outbrea

May 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] S. Korean lawmakers arrive in US for talks on vaccine cooperation

WASHINGTON -- Two lawmakers from South Korea's main opposition People Power Party arrived in the United States on Wednesday for talks on possible US assistance to help relieve South Korea's COVID-19 vaccine shortage. Rep. Park Jin stressed the need to quickly secure vaccines for his country, calling his trip a bipartisan effort. "There is a need to strengthen the South Korea-US alliance and enhance their relations in various areas including vaccine cooperation," he said. "We wil

May 13, 2021

Local govt. office raided over public servant's alleged land speculation

JEONJU -- Police raided the North Jeolla Province government office Wednesday over alleged land speculation by a public servant. The Jeonbuk Police Agency said it searched the office and the home of the employee hired by the provincial government, located in Jeonju, about 240 kilometers south of Seoul. The suspect's computer files, mobile phone and related documents were seized in the process. The police said the public servant is suspected of using insider information to buy a plot of land ne

May 12, 2021

Moon presents new Supreme Court justice with letter of appointment

President Moon Jae-in gave Cheon Dae-yeop, a veteran judge, a certificate of appointment as a new Supreme Court justice on Wednesday. The president took note of Cheon's "firm faith in judicial independence, a guarantee of basic rights and the protection of the socially underprivileged," according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. "As the Supreme Court's ruling has a profound impact on our society and future generations, the burden will be heavy as a Supreme Court jus

May 12, 2021